Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Benelli inertia recoil vs. gas operated recoil

Doesn't feel like enough to really matter, but if placed on a scale, I think the gas gun might be a little heavier than the Benelli.

If you can find a 20 gauge Benelli to try before buying that's the best way to compare recoil and more important how well you can shoot it. Better to find out first if you can, they're not cheap.

If you get the 20 Benelli. I'd still keep the 1100 for a while if you like it and shoot it well. I've owned and used my share of semiauto shotguns including a Benelli Montefeltro and Beretta 391. I ended up going back to 1100s; not saying their better but they work for me. New 1100s cost more than the one you've got.

Didn't see your other thread. Good idea IMO.

All my life I shot an 1100 (with a Pachmayr pad). Then I got an M2 12 ga. At first I thought it kicked a tiny bit more than the 1100 (light field and target loads). After a while I decided it felt like it kicked a little lighter than the 1100. The M2 weighed about a lb. less than the 1100. Carrying in the field, the weight difference seemed more like 5 lbs.

The new Benellis have all kinds of recoil mitigating stuff built in- that said, they will never be as easy to shoot, recoil wise, as a Browning gas gun.

I own one Benelli, have shot several, and own two Browning Golds, one Browning Gold Fusion, and a Browning Maxus. The Benelli I own is a 28 ga. Legacy, and even at under 5 lb. recoil is almost negligible- but is still a sharper kick than the softer push of the gas guns.

This is an old post but thought I'd chime in. About 5 years or so ago, seven of us shot and compared the recoil of the Benelli SBE II, a Browning Gold and a Browning Citori all chambered in 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch.

We fired 2 3/4, 3 and 3.5 inch shells firing one round in each of the guns.

Overall, the gold had the least felt recoil with all loads followed by the Benelli and then the Citori. There were two dissenting shooters with 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells. Those two thought the Benelli kicked the least while the remaining six of us disagreed. Nobody argued after firing the 3.5 inch roman candles. The heavy Browning Gold stole the show.